Moelleux au Chocolat

I am going to make a bold statement. I think this Moelleux au Chocolat might just be one of the best chocolate cakes of all time. There, I have said it. The best way to describe it is like a giant melt in the middle chocolate cake. Although I rather like the fancy French name! It is rich, gooey, decadent and delicious. Especially when served warm from the oven. What’s more, if you pop the leftovers in the fridge, the base transforms into a fudgy brownie while the top sets into a heavenly dark chocolate mousse. Are you tempted yet?

You might look at the recipe and think a twice baked chocolate cake is complicated. Trust me, it is much easier than it sounds and hard to get wrong. It is even simpler than my Melt in the Middle Chocolate Puddings as it is baked in one tin! It does involve separating eggs, but once you’ve got the knack of that, there’s nothing to it. And this Moelleux au Chocolat requires only 5 ingredients.

When it is warm, like a lava cake, I love to serve it with double cream or ice cream. Both are perfect accompaniments to a naturally gluten free chocolate cake. Sometimes I add something fruity. A handful of plump and juicy sweet raspberries, sliced strawberries or pitted cherries are all delicious. Although, when fresh berries aren’t in season, a mixed berry coulis is a delightful alternative… 

Why you will love this Moelleux au Chocolat recipe:

• It is a naturally gluten free cake.
• It has the most delicious decadent flavour and texture. The rich dark chocolate transforms into a gooey melt in the middle chocolate cake.
• It uses just 5 ingredients which you are likely to already have at home.
• It looks impressive but is actually very hard to go wrong. A dream dinner party dessert.

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Butter – opt for unsalted so you can control the salt level in this Moelleux au Chocolat.

Dark chocolate – the starring ingredient in this twice baked chocolate cake! Opt for the best quality you can find, ideally 70%, for the most delicious results.

Cocoa powder – make sure you use the unsweetened variety. Definitely not hot chocolate powder!

Salt – this won’t make the Moelleux au Chocolat taste salty. It balances out the sweetness and heightens the other flavours. I recommend Maldon Salt Flakes. 

Eggs – I always use free-range eggs. I also recommend using large eggs stamped with the British Lion mark.

Caster sugar – this brings sweetness to the Moelleux au Chocolat. It also helps give structure to the egg whites and a beautifully soft texture.

Substitutions and Variations:

• Caster sugar: you can swap for granulated or golden caster sugar if that is what you have. 
• Berries: a sprinkling of plump and juicy berries cuts through the rich dark chocolate. I like strawberries, raspberries or pitted cherries. You can also opt for a fruity berry coulis. Bonne Maman has a lovely Cherry Compote if you want to stick with the French vibes.  If serving to adults, cherries in kirsch work very well too. 
• Dairy: this gooey lava cake is perfect served just as it is. However, I love to add a drizzle of double cream or custard. Alternatively, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is also utterly delicious. 
• Nuts: as a melt in the middle chocolate cake, this Moelleux au Chocolat has a soft and gooey texture. If you want to add a bit of contrast, sprinkle with toasted chopped nuts. Almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts work really well. 

Directions:

Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.

ONE: Melt diced butter and chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, stirring often, then sift in cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

TWO: Separate eggs; whisk yolks with caster sugar until pale and thick. In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding remaining sugar until stiff.

THREE: Combine the chocolate mixture with egg yolks, then fold in a couple of spoonfuls of whisked egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

FOUR: Pour ⅔ of the batter into a buttered, lined 23cm springform tin and bake at 180C Fan for 25 minutes. Cool completely. It may collapse or fall as it cools, this is very normal – sometimes this cake is called a chocolate slump cake and it will still be delicious, it’s just part of the charm

FIVE: Keep the remaining batter in the fridge.

SIX: Once the cake is cool, spread the reserved batter on top. Bake again for 10-15 minutes until a thin crust forms and the middle is still soft.

Cooking Tips:

• Weigh the batter: if you want your Moelleux au Chocolat to have perfect ratios, weigh your batter and divide into thirds. Bake ⅔ first and keep ⅓ back.
• Folding in egg whites: gently folding in your egg whites is key to the perfect gooey Moelleux au Chocolat. The 2 spoonfuls are ‘sacrificial’ and can be mixed in normally. After that, be very gentle so as to keep in as much air as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other recipes you might enjoy:

If you like the sound of this Moelleux au Chocolat, I have lots of show stopping dessert recipes for you to try. If you want a simple dark chocolate dessert, try my Classic French Chocolate Mousse. It uses just 3 ingredients and tastes absolutely incredible! However, if you were here for a gooey chocolate pudding, my Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding is what dreams are made of. I have yet to meet anyone who can resist a bowl of warm, moist chocolate sponge, rich chocolate sauce and a scoop of just-melting vanilla ice cream. I also have the most delicious Melt in the Middle Chocolate Puddings. They are like indulgent chocolate lava cakes filled with a molten dark chocolate centre.

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Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

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Mini Egg Cookies

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No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments…  I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!

Moelleux au Chocolat

By: Margie

This has to be one of the best melt in the middle chocolate cake recipes I have ever made. Moelleux au Chocolat – think of it like a giant rich and gooey dark chocolate lava cake. It tastes amazing warm from the oven with cold cream…  Although the leftovers served chilled from the fridge are pretty difficult to resist too!

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients 

For the cake:

• 225 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing (16 tbsp / 1 cup)
• 225 g good-quality 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped (8oz / 1 cup)
• 75 g cocoa powder, 3/4 cup
• Pinch of salt
• 7 large eggs
• 265 g caster sugar, 1 1/3 cups / 9.3 oz (known as superfine sugar in the US)

To serve:

• Double cream, ice cream or custard

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 180C Fan/355F Fan (or 200C/400F if not fan). Generously butter a 23cm (9-inch) round springform tin with butter and line the base with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
• Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl. I usually do this in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well each time until smooth. Or you can place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of “just” simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t come into contact with the water (or the chocolate will burn).  
• Once you’ve got a smooth, glossy mixture, pop a sieve over the bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and salt. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
• Separate the eggs, putting the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks into another large bowl. 
• Add 135 g caster sugar to the egg yolks and whisk using an electric whisk for about 2 minutes – or until pale, light and thick.
• Meanwhile, using the stand mixer (or you can use the electric whisk – it just needs to be really clean otherwise the egg whites won’t whisk in the way you want them to), whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar, whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
• You should now have three bowls that need to be mixed together. First, pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and stir gently. Then add two spoons of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture and stir quite vigorously so it is well incorporated. This is often called the ‘sacrificial spoon’ as we don’t worry too much about keeping in the air at this stage.
• Next, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, taking care to keep in as much air as possible. You shouldn’t see any of the egg whites after you’ve folded it together.
• Pour ⅔ of the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes – or until the cake is well risen, puffy and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining ⅓ of the cake batter into a medium bowl and set aside, or cover with cling film and pop into the fridge if using much later. This will become the molten chocolate top layer of the cake. 
• Preheat the oven, once again, to 180C Fan and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
• Once the cake has cooled completely, remove from the tin and place on the prepared baking tray. Add the reserved ⅓ of the cake batter on top of the cake – you can pour it or, if it has been in the fridge, gently spread using a palette knife.
• Bake the cake for about 10-15 minutes or until you see a thin crust on the top but the middle is still soft and jiggly underneath. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes. 
• Cut into slices and serve warm with double cream, ice cream or custard. You can also serve it chilled from the fridge.

Notes

Don’t panic if the cake collapses in the middle when you take it out of the oven, sometimes these cakes are called chocolate “slump” cakes for this reason.They don’t contain any flour so they can collapse a little but that’s part of their charm. For the cake you are going to fill the middle with the remaining batter anyway, so you won’t notice after the second bake!

Conversions: To be helpful, we’ve provided conversions if you are in America and like using cups but we should say, for accuracy, we really do recommend weighing. It’s the British way of doing it and is the most accurate way to get the best cake. We’ve tried to make your life easier but for the best cake, please use the weights provided!

Serving suggestions: this decadent Moelleux au Chocolat is perfect on its own. Although it is really decadent with a drizzle of double cream or custard, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I also love to serve it with fresh raspberries or cherries. Alternatively, berry coulis is also delicious. 

Make ahead: once you’ve cooked the bottom layer, you can leave it to cool completely, cover and chill in the fridge for 1-2 days. Continue as per the instructions when ready to finish the cake.

Leftovers: leave the cake to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Caster sugar: this recipe has been tested with caster sugar, not granulated sugar. If you can’t find caster sugar (known as superfine sugar in the US), blitz granulated sugar in a blender to a finer texture.